Rob Gronkowski Misses Walkthrough
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was not spotted on the field at Friday’s walkthrough, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. Gronk, of course, suffered a concussion in last weekend’s AFC Championship victory over the Jaguars, putting his Super Bowl status in limbo. The good news is that there’s more than a week to go between now and Feb. 4, so the New England star has plenty of time to rest up.
Latest On Patriots’ Brian Flores
Now that he’s no longer in consideration for the Cardinals head coaching job, Patriots linebacker coach Brian Flores has a few options that could be on the table for this upcoming season. After Arizona decided to hire Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Flores will not follow him to be the team’s next defensive coordinator, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Schefter adds that with current Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia expected to accept a job offer to be the Lions next head coach, Flores is a “prime candidate” to lead Bill Belichick‘s defense next season. Even though Flores is just 36 years old, he already has a fairly long history with the Pats organization. He’s spent the last 10 years as a coach with the team, but his work stems back to his days in the team’s front office when he was hired as a scouting assistant back in 2004.
It’s certainly possible that Flores could have the option of going with Patricia to Detroit, but it’s becoming clear that he’s the odds on favorite to lead the Pats defense in 2018.
Colts Request Second Interview With Josh McDaniels
The Colts have requested a second head coaching interview with Josh McDaniels, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Of course, this is just a formality as McDaniels is widely reported to have already accepted the job. 
The Colts cannot make the hiring of McDaniels official until after the Patriots’ season is over. That means any plans for an introductory press conference will have to wait until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 4. However, the Colts can use the time between now and the big game to plan for the future.
The staff around McDaniels is already coming together. Last week, the team formalized plans to hire Raiders quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz as their new offensive coordinator and Cowboys linebackers coach Matt Eberflus as the club’s new defensive coordinator.
McDaniels will be tasked with turning the Colts around after a disappointing 4-12 season. On the plus side, they own the No. 3 pick in the draft and they may have their choice between North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb or Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.
Updated 2018 NFL Draft Order
With the conference championship games in the books, we now know the draft order for 30 of the first round’s 32 picks. Here’s the rundown:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. (New England Patriots (13-3) or Philadelphia Eagles (13-3))
32. (New England Patriots (13-3) or Philadelphia Eagles (13-3))
Gronk In Concussion Protocol
Rob Gronkowski is in the concussion protocol after taking a big hit in the AFC Championship Game. However, there is optimism that Gronk will be cleared in time for the Super Bowl, a source tells Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald (on Twitter). 
Gronk was knocked out of action late in the first half after he was leveled by Jaguars safety Barry Church. The tight end managed to walk to the locker room under his own power, but he was clearly out of it. The good news is that Gronk has two weeks to rest up before the big game on February 4.
Gronkowski had one catch for 21 yards in Sunday’s win over Jacksonville. He came up big against the Titans last week, however, as he hauled in six grabs for 81 yards and one touchdown. In the regular season, Gronk had 69 catches, 1,084 yards, and eight TDs, earning him a fourth career First-Team All-Pro nod. Needless to say, he’ll be sorely missed if he cannot play in the Super Bowl.
Pats ST Coordinator Joe Judge's Contract Expiring
Both Patriots coordinators — Josh McDaniels (offense) and Matt Patricia (defense) — are expected to accept head coaching jobs this offseason, but they may not be the only top assistants to leave New England in the coming weeks. Special teams coordinator Joe Judge is also working on an expiring contract, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who adds Judge could follow either McDaniels or Patricia to Indianapolis or Detroit, respectively. The Patriots have finished as a top-eight special teams unit in DVOA in each of Judge’s seven seasons at the helm.
Latest On Pats QB Tom Brady’s Hand Injury
As was fully expected, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is active and will start today’s AFC Championship Game against the Jaguars. However, a few new details have now emerged about the hand injury Brady suffered during practice last week.
The 40-year-old Brady is dealing with a collateral ligament sprain in his right thumb, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), who adds that injury could be cause for concern regarding Brady’s “functionality.” Additionally, Brady required 10 stitches after sustaining a cut to his right hand, and sources claimed there was a “good amount of blood” following the laceration, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
Exactly how much either of these injuries will affect Brady’s performance later today is impossible to predict, but there didn’t seem to be any realistic chance that Brady wouldn’t suit up for Sunday’s contest. New England, of course, only has one other quarterback on its 53-man roster: veteran Brian Hoyer, whom the Pats signed earlier this year after trading Jimmy Garoppolo.
Patriots Interested In Aaron Glenn For DC
Now that it seems certain the Patriots are going to lose Matt Patricia to the Lions, names are emerging for the Pats’ soon-to-be available defensive coordinator position.
Brian Flores is the favorite for this role, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter). This would be a natural progression for the 36-year-old Flores, who has coached the safeties and linebackers under Patricia since 2012. But an outside candidate looms as well.
The Patriots are also expected to consider Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn, Rapoport reports. Glenn played for Bill Belichick early in his career when he was a Pro Bowler with the Jets.
Glenn’s worked as the Saints’ secondary boss for the past two seasons. Prior to that, the 45-year-old Glenn was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Browns for two years. Glenn played with the Jets for eight seasons, and three of those (1997-99), came when Belichick ran Bill Parcells‘ defense. A three-time Pro Bowler, Glenn earned two of those distinctions under Belichick in ’97 and ’98.
Flores remains in contention for the Cardinals’ HC position. He’s expected to receive a second interview with Arizona brass. It would seem if the Cardinals go in another direction for their top coaching job that Flores will be promoted in New England. If Flores lands the Cards’ job, then the Pats’ search becomes more interesting.
Latest On Tom Brady’s Sunday Availability
Despite suffering an injury to his throwing hand, Tom Brady will start the AFC Championship Game vs. the Jaguars on Sunday, ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports (Twitter link).
The cut the Patriots’ 40-year-old quarterback suffered on his throwing hand required several stitches, Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston tweets.
A source informed ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss the collision that caused the injury was “minor.” Reiss adds Brady is not believed to have suffered any ligament, tendon or bone damage.
While Curran reported Brady was not taking snaps under center when he returned to practice Friday, Reiss received conflicting viewpoints of whether this will be an issue come Sunday. One source said Brady “should be OK” for Sunday while another added it’s possible this freak ailment could affect him to some degree in the game.
Reiss notes Brady threw the ball well in practice on Friday and believes he can execute the Pats’ game plan effectively. New England did not bring in another quarterback to work out this week after the setback, per Reiss. Brian Hoyer is the only other passer on the Patriots’ active roster or practice squad.
Brady battled an Achilles injury this season but has not missed a game due to injury since 2008.
Poll: What Will Be The Super Bowl LII Matchup?
It’s almost here! Super Bowl LII is just a few weeks away, and by Sunday night, we will know what teams will get the chance to play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Championship weekend is headlined by a team that everyone thought would be here and three others that have overcome the odds for their opportunity to play under the brightest of lights on February 4. But what will that matchup be come when all is set and done on Sunday? Here are the breakdowns of all four teams that are now a win away from appearing in the Super Bowl.
New England Patriots (14-3)
The defending Super Bowl champs will play in their seventh straight AFC championship game. They’ve won two of the past three Super Bowls and have the greatest coach-quarterback combo in the history of football. However, even entering the playoffs as the favorite, New England has still faced some challenges in the last few weeks. The organization had to deal with a bombshell report that cited major drama between the three most powerful people in the Pats franchise. Despite the story, the team made easy work of the Titans in the divisional round. They’ll face a much tougher test on Sunday against the Jaguars, and they will have to win with Tom Brady dealing with a thumb injury. The five-time Super Bowl winner will almost assuredly be playing this weekend, but it could put more pressure on the team’s stable of running backs to make plays in the rushing and passing game. The Pats defense took a big step up in terms of pressuring Marcus Mariota and a repeat performance in that aspect will go a long way in the Pats getting to their second straight Super Bowl.
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-6)
The Jags were expected to beat the Bills in the Wild Card round, but pulled off an upset of the Steelers in the Divisional round. Blake Bortles and the offense picked up the pace last Sunday, and they’ll need to continue that type of production in order to keep up with the Patriots in the AFC Championship. The team is still led by a fast and opportunistic defense that can cause turnovers at any time. If they can get pressure on Brady, especially with an injured thumb, they may be able to provide their offense with some breathing room throughout the game. The formula remains the same if the Jags are to pull an even bigger shocker on Sunday. They must run the ball, control the clock, play stellar defense and mix in some big plays if they hope to play in their first Super Bowl about two weeks from now.
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
The Eagles were a rare underdog as a number one seed in the second round of the playoffs. However, Nick Foles and the offense were just productive enough for the defense to hold the Falcons out of the end zone late in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia is going to need a better effort against a better Vikings team that is possibly the most complete team in football. The Eagles ran the ball a ton last Saturday and found a nice rhythm offensively when Doug Pederson allowed Foles to have options to either pass or run later in the game. They’ll likely do this again to help their quarterback think less and find Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz and others for first downs. The Eagles defense led by the likes of Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry and Timmy Jernigan need to force mistakes and give the offense some short fields so they can put enough points o the board to win the game and advance to the team’s second-ever Super Bowl.
Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
Mike Zimmer‘s squad doesn’t seem to have a weakness on their roster. They can run the ball with Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. They have an explosive passing game that can work in the redzone or down the field with weapons like Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph. The defense has playmakers in every unit as well, so it’s tough for the opposing offense to exploit a certain area when on the field. Nevertheless, the team needed the “Minnesota Miracle” at the end of the game against the Saints in order to advance further into the postseason. They’ll face a different type of team in the Eagles who are more based of their pass rush and controlling the clock. The Vikings will be favored on Sunday because of the way Case Keenum is playing compared to Foles. But the Eagles won’t likely roll over because of the great front seven and the mistakes that they can create on passing downs. Minnesota’s offensive line could be the key to a victory because it would allow Keenum to find his playmakers on the outside to help put up points and force the Eagles to take their chances on Foles’ arm to win the game.
What will the Super Bowl LII matchup be?
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Patriots vs. Vikings 45% (1,691)
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Patriots vs. Eagles 24% (903)
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Jaguars vs. Vikings 21% (802)
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Jaguars vs. Eagles 10% (391)
Total votes: 3,787